To make it easier to find the information you are looking for, we have grouped frequently asked questions into subject areas. If you can’t find the information you are looking for on this page, you can navigate back to the main Frequently Asked Questions page.
Information and updates
Where can I find out what’s happening?
The Ashbourne Reborn programme provides regular updates via their dedicated website www.ashbournereborn.co.uk as well as frequent posts on @ashbournereborn social media channels, and free email newsletters for residents and visitors, and businesses.
We are working closely with partners to ensure we get out information as widely and effectively as possible, and have had stalls to provide information at events in Ashbourne like Streetfest and Picnic in the Park. A series of drop-ins and a public meeting will be planned for people to find out more ahead of the main contractors starting work.
A packed public meeting took place on 20th March at 6pm 2023 at Ashbourne Methodist Church where more than 250 people found out more about the bid. You can view the slides presented at the meeting Ashbourne Reborn public meeting presentations [PDF6.9MB] and watch the video of the meeting again below:
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How can I keep in touch?
Follow Ashbourne Reborn on Facebook and Instagram and sign up for free email updates (tick the Ashbourne Reborn option). Get in touch by email
Background to the Ashbourne Reborn programme
How much has government awarded to Ashbourne and how much in total will be spent on these projects?
The government grant from its Levelling Up Fund is £13.4m and the total project will cost £15.2m. The difference of £1.8m is made up of match funding raised locally, including significant funds raised from Ashbourne Methodist Church members, friends and grants, as well as grant giving organisations and local businesses.
What will the money be spent on?
The Ashbourne Reborn programme is made up of two projects. The first (£8.8m) will improve the highways and public realm in the town centre. Led by the County Council, this will include works to Compton, Dig Street, St John Street and Buxton Road, together with improvements to the Market Place, Victoria Square, Millennium Square and Shrovetide Walk. The second project (£6.4m), led by Ashbourne Methodist Church will transform the existing church buildings on the corner of Church Street and Station Road into a community hub, creating space for a wide range of community uses and events. Modern hostel style and family accommodation will also be provided together with a community garden and outdoor event space and a mobility hub including cycling facilities and real-time information for local buses. More information on the proposals is available at www.ashbournereborn.co.uk.
Who decided what the money should be spent on?
Government invited bids from eligible local authorities and Derbyshire Dales District Council was the lead organisation for this particular bid. Ultimately it was the elected members of the District Council who decided which projects would go forward. However, this decision was made following significant liaison with community groups and stakeholders across the district. The proposals for Ashbourne have been developed through a strong collaboration with local partners and there has been wide and deep support for the projects put forward within the bid.
How many places have got this funding and how competitive was the process?
For round two of the Levelling Up Fund there were 80 projects in England awarded funding out of a total of 370 bids. Ministers have said that the process was very competitive with a lot of strong bids making it through to the shortlist stage. Ashbourne has therefore done really well to secure this investment.
Aren’t there better ways to use the money/can’t we change the projects or add new ones – there is plenty of money to go round?
We are not able to make any significant changes to the proposals that went into the bid – government now expects us to deliver the things that we said we would. The bid was developed with careful consideration of the likely costs and we have been realistic about these; in the current climate we certainly don’t expect there to be any spare cash unfortunately.
Why are the projects costing this much/it’s a huge amount of money surely we could expect more for our money?
The projects have been carefully costed and we believe the costs are realistic based on the current stage of design work. We have had to build in an allowance for inflation and for contingencies that may arise during development. The government assesses all the bids on value for money and both the projects included in our bid demonstrated good value for money.
Does Ashbourne really need this – aren’t there other places more in need of ‘levelling up’?
Yes, the town does need this investment. Our bid included clear evidence of the decline the town faces. Without this funding, and the additional private sector investment it will catalyse, we are facing further decline, more empty properties and a weaker local economy. When government categorised areas of the country eligible to bid, Derbyshire Dales was in the category of greatest need. The government based this on a systematic GB-wide prioritisation of need for economic recovery and growth, need for improved transport connectivity, and need for regeneration.
Who is going to deliver the projects?
The Ashbourne Reborn programme will be delivered through two projects. The highways and public realm project will be delivered by Derbyshire County Council and it will be responsible for appointing organisations to carry out the detailed design and then deliver the works on the ground. Ashbourne Methodist Church will deliver the Link Community Hub project; again, it will decide which organisations to appoint to undertake detailed design and then the physical works on the building.
What consultation took place about these projects?
The highways improvements are based on those introduced in the town on a temporary basis during the pandemic, and feedback on those was taken into account within the bid proposals. During the development of the public realm and highways project for the bid, views were sought from local organisations and businesses. Ashbourne Town Team promoted the changes and in doing so sought local views that informed the proposals. In addition, some elements of the bid already had planning permission. AshCom obtained planning for changes at Shrovetide Walk, which was subject to consultation at the time and Ashbourne Town Council has similarly been through a formal consultation process to obtain planning for changes around the Millennium Clock.
There has been significant consultation over many years regarding the proposals to develop a community hub at Ashbourne Methodist Church. This has included seeking views from local organisations who will hopefully use the new space for their events and activities. The proposals also obtained planning permission in 2021, a process that included formal consultation.
Both The Link community hub detailed design and elements of the public realm project were subject to the formal planning process which allowed further opportunities for people to have their say.
Why has it taken such a long time for work to start?
Since funding was announced in January 2023, partners have been busy drawing up designs, gaining planning permissions and preparing for delivery. Although much of this happened behind the scenes, preparatory work started on the ground from summer 2024.
With any project of this nature, there is a long lead in time in order to plan and design the work thoroughly. We want the improvements to be as effective as possible, of high quality and long-lasting. This requires careful work to design the best scheme we can within the available budget. Some of the changes in both projects also required planning permission and/or listed building consent, which takes time to obtain. The lead-in time also included opportunities for local people, businesses and organisations to have their say and engage with the emerging designs. We think this is really important and didn’t want to cut short the time allowed for that part of the process.
Isn’t there a problem with inflation/how can we be sure we don’t overspend?
An allowance for inflation has been included in the bid, although this was based on estimates at the time of bidding and we won’t know the actual impact of inflation and other cost pressures until we seek prices from the market. We are confident we have done our best to foresee rising costs. Project budgets will be tightly managed and the delivery partners have significant experience in managing contracts of this nature. There is no additional funding available so we will do all we can to avoid any overspending; if costs are rising more than we have forecast then we will look to adjust each project to stay in budget.
Why has the council employed lots of consultants/how much of the funding is going to be wasted on consultants?
It is simply not possible to submit a high quality bid – and secure this sort of investment – without using external specialists and bringing in extra capacity. Government awarded each place preparing a bid a grant of £125,000 to help with these costs. The District Council has also used some of its own resources alongside this as it wanted to give itself the best possible chance of securing this investment for Ashbourne. There will be a further need for external support as we move into delivery of the bid; again, there are specialist skills and extra capacity we need that the council doesn’t have. The bid costs include provision for this as we knew that we needed to get these skills in place to stand any chance of delivering the schemes. We will be tightly monitoring all of the spend and making sure we get value for money throughout the project.
Are there plans to improve the cycle routes through town?
The successful Levelling Up Funding bid included a number of improvements aimed specifically at cyclists. To support greater use of Ashbourne by cyclists, a new cycle route is being developed to improve access between the town centre and the Tissington Trail. There are also plans for improved cycle parking facilities in Victoria Square and the Market Place and at the Link Community Hub, as well as new wayfinding signs around the town centre.
By providing these enhancements specifically for cyclists alongside improving and widening pavements, providing better and more frequent crossing facilities and reducing the dominance of vehicles, Ashbourne Reborn aims to transform the experience of walking and cycling in Ashbourne town centre, encouraging more active travel.
How are local people going to benefit from the work/will there be any jobs for local people?
All of the changes are aimed at improving our local economy and thereby the prospects for local people in terms of jobs, skills and future investment in the town. As well as these longer term benefits, we will be working with partners to include requirements for using local workers and suppliers within contracts for the delivery of the projects where we can. This will generate additional short-term benefits with money being kept within the local economy as much as possible.
Will the new government decide to stop the funding?
The Levelling Up Fund has already been allocated by Treasury as part of the government’s spending review process and we do not anticipate there being any changes to the availability of that funding. Ashbourne is one of many places around the UK receiving Levelling Up Funding and we think it very unlikely that all these places would have their funding withdrawn. However, government is clear that we need to deliver on the bid we submitted in order for the funding to continue to flow to the project and so we are continuing to focus on putting everything in place to deliver as effectively as possible. The need to deliver the approved programme within the agreed budget is a key reason why changes and additions to Ashbourne Reborn cannot be entertained.
How is the work being procured, are there opportunities for local businesses?
All of the contracts to deliver work as part of the Ashbourne Reborn programme have been advertised in line with public sector procurement regulations to be sure that competition is fair and open, and we get best value for money. Ashbourne Methodist Church has awarded a contract for construction works for the Link Community Hub and Derbyshire County Council has awarded a contract for highways and public realm construction works. We are keen for local businesses to have the opportunity to bid for work where possible and the main contractors are taking this into consideration where there are sub-contractor/supply chain opportunities.
Why wasn’t the council able to secure money for Matlock/Wirksworth, which needs investment?
The options for a bid for LUF were carefully considered by the council and reports taken to its Community and Environment Committee setting out the alternatives. Advice was sought from those involved in the previous round of the fund and it was decided that a bid focused on a single place would stand the best chance of success in what we knew would be a very competitive process. Plans for a series of projects in Ashbourne were further advanced than those in other towns and already enjoyed strong support from a range of local partners, with several elements having planning permission in place and match funding. For these reasons it was decided that a bid for Ashbourne would be the best approach for this particular fund. However, the council is continuing to work with local partners on future projects across the district so that it can support bids for other funding pots as and when they become available.
Links to other FAQ pages
This page includes answers to general questions we have received about Ashbourne Reborn. We also have pages with answers to questions about: Parking, Traffic management and diversions, Heavy vehicles and relief road, and Plans for the Market Place.
